The Indianapolis Colts are just days away from the official start of training camp (Thursday) and with it will begin the process that gets us all closer to watching football on Sunday’s.
As the Colts begin their preseason process, the offense will certainly be under the microscope after having one of its most successful seasons this decade in the first year under head coach Frank Reich.
Still, there are a few questions the offensive unit faces entering training camp. Let’s take a look:
How will the WR room unfold?
We know there is a whole lot of talk about the wide receiver room for the Colts and the competition that awaits many players. It is the biggest competition on the offensive side of the ball as every role behind T.Y. Hilton is up for grabs.
For the final four or even five spots in the room, there are seven or eight legitimate players that could make a case for a roster spot. Whoever grabs that WR2 and/or WR3 role will have a massive impact on the offense.
The Colts were in 11 personnel (3 WRs) for 74% of their offensive snaps, third-most in the league, per Sharp Football. The competition will have several players involved in what should be a large role in the offense.
How will Frank Reich’s scheme change?
While the basics and foundations of the playbook will remain the same, Reich knows in order for the Colts offense to improve in 2019, he must keep opposing defenses guessing. This means he will have to continue leading a multiple offense that isn’t afraid to add some new layers to the unit.
The Colts loved to work horizontally in the passing game before looking for a big play downfield. With Deon Cain and Parris Campbell entering the mix, will Reich have quarterback Andrew Luck look more for the deep shots? How will Reich keep defenses from identifying keys that give them an edge.
We likely won’t see any tweaks until the beginning of the regular season but some changes or installments should be expected in order to keep other teams guessing.
Can Marlon Mack be the featured RB1?
The Colts have been praising the third-year running back all offseason—saying how much they believe in him to be a three-down back capable of carrying the load. Even though he won’t see a Christian McCaffrey type workload, Indy believes Mack can be a budding star in the league.
From Weeks 6–17, Mack was the starting running back. He logged 16.75 touches per game and, over that span, recorded the fourth-most rushing yards (874) and third-most rushing touchdowns (nine) among all NFL running backs.
The Colts will certainly mix in Nyheim Hines and even a third running back, but they found success running the ball with Mack for the majority of the second half. Can the USF product be the featured RB1 the Colts believe he can?
